Post Ww2 Reconstruction

Economic aid for nations, especially Europe, was another weapon used to fight the war. After World War II, most of European countries were in a desperate situation. They suffered in poverty, hunger, and disease. Improved technology and the development of explosives with massive powers led to the devastation of Europe. Approximately 36 million European men have died in World War II. Not only did the population decrease, infrastructure had to be reconstructed and it required tremendous amount of reparation. As the European countries were weakened economically and militarily, they were desperate and more likely to rather fall into and be attracted to the Soviet Union’s communism than United States’ democracy. United

The period between Reconstruction and World War I was a time of tremendous social, economic, and cultural change in the United States. The end of the Civil War, the shrinking of the frontier, the rise of immigration, and the rapid growth of industry that characterized this time period brought many issues of race, class, and status to the forefront of politics. Many different opinions came to light about what it means to be an American and the dynamic between the American individual and American society. The differing answers to these questions created both divisions and unifications between different races, classes, and political parties. Through careful analysis of historical documents from the period, it is evident that society owes all individuals basic civil rights and the ability to make a living through harnessing their skills in the workplace. Conversely, the individual owes society work that benefits society as a whole and participation in government through suffrage.

After WWII, much of Europe was left in ruins and millions of people were left homeless and jobless. Soon, however, America stepped in and helped begin the recovery process or better known as the Marshall Plan. This plan included $12 billion in food, equipment and services for both Western Europe and Japan. “Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist.”(George C. Marshall, An American Plan to rebuild a shattered Europe)

The "Marshall Plan" created by United States Secretary of State George Marshall and the "Molotov Plan" created by Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov were

After World War I, many Americans feared the idea that communism would spread, they called this concern “The Red Scare”. Americans were wary of the spreading of communism after the Russian Revolution, in their paranoia America attempted to block new incomers, especially eastern and southern Europeans. In addition to The Red Scare, there were limited jobs in America, because of this generations of workers whose families had immigrated before the 1900s, began to view new incomers as a threat because they would work for lower pay and further reduce the jobs available for the nativists . Due to these concerns, immigration regulations went into effect. For instance,

Marshall Plan - The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program, channeled over $13 billion to finance the economic recovery of Europe between 1948 and 1951.

Thesis Statement- World War II got us out of the Great Depression. The quality of American life, however, was precarious during the war. Food was rationed, luxuries removed, taxes high, and work dangerous. Franklin Roosevelt recognized that the war only provided a short-term fix for the economy and a very costly one at that. What would happen after the war, when 12 million troops came home and the strong demand for guns, bullets, tanks, and ships ceased? Roosevelt envisioned a New Deal revival. He had created the National Resources Planning Board (NRPB) in 1939 and urged it during the war to plan for peacetime. The NRPB leaders believed that government planning was necessary to promote economic development. They consciously followed ideas popularized in 1936 by John Maynard Keynes

Is it possible to know what Americans thought of World War II, if they believed that the war was a just war or whether they did not agree for what the United States was fighting for? The historian Studs Terkel believes he knows this answer and that Americans saw themselves as liberators of an oppressed world fighting for the just war which can be concluded from his famous volume, The Good War. Of course one person’s beliefs should not be believed as easily just by reading a book. A person should base their opinions on something much more analytical than that. In order to decide whether some Americans actually thought that World War II was a just war, a thorough analysis should be done of American life looking at all the facts found. Beginning with American experience before the war then analyzing the experience of the war and the home-front itself and finally ending with the analysis of America after World War II a conclusion can be made regarding the American point of view.

Many events had led to the U.S turning away from international affairs after World War One, this making them an isolationist nation. Isolationism is the policy of remaining apart from affairs and otr interests of other groups, political affairs of other countries.

Because so much of Europe had been destroyed during the war, many European countries were heavily in debt to the United States and could not afford to rebuild themselves. The United States was able to contribute more than $13 billion worth of food and other good to Europe. The Marshall Plan, which was the European recovery program, was an American initiative to aid western Europe. The goals of the United States were to rebuild war-devastated regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, make Europe prosperous once more and prevent the spread of communism. The Marshall Plan aid was divided amongst the participant states on per capita basis.

According to Harry S.Truman, the 33rd president of the USA, ”The Marshall Plan will go down in history as one of America's greatest contributions to the peace of the world”. The Marshall plan is a plan which helped Germany rebuild its economy after the war. The USA has donated 12 billion dollars to Germany which is now worth 120 billion dollars. The Marshall plan has helped the unions which were poor to rebuild itself. After World War II The Marshall Plan impacted the lives of many people and helped rebuild nations. First, the Marshall plan played an immense role in giving funds to help many countries. Secondly, the Marshall Plan had a huge effect on us today. Finally, the Treaty of Versailles and the Marshall plan have many similarities and differences.

After the end of World War II, some people may have felt safe. However, even before Nazi Germany put its guns down in Germany in 1945, the political giant, and U.S. president, Franklin D. Roosevelt died by illness. The new president, Harry S.Truman, had to face an unstabilized situation and some new challenges. At first, he had to make sure the war criminals were punished during the Nuremberg trials. He helped create the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and financed the remaking of Japan under General Douglas MacArthur. In 1947, Truman developed the Marshall Plan, which offered more than $10 billion for the reconstruction and reindustrialization of Germany (SparkNotes Editors). The Marshall Plan was so successful that manufacturing plants in Western Europe were producing the product equal to prewar numbers within a couple of years. The U.S and the Soviet Union worked together during the World War II, because they had the same interest. Unfortunately, Joseph Stalin, Soviet premier, did not agree with what Truman did above. He wanted Nazi Germany to pay for what they had done in the Second World War, and he destroyed the factories in Germany in order to make sure the German

The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to aid Europe, in which the United States gave $13 billion in economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948. The goals of the United States were to rebuild war-devastated regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, make Europe prosperous again, and prevent the spread of communism. The plan required a decreasing of interstate barriers, a dropping of many petty regulations constraining business, and encouraged an increase in productivity, labor union membership, as well as the adoption of modern business procedures.

The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program, was a program in which the US gave over 13 billion dollars to individual European countries to fuel the recovery of Europe between 1948 and 191. The plan was named after George C. Marshall who first introduced the idea in 1947. Americans perceive this as being an altruistic approach to helping the world regain their footing after WW2, however the Soviets did not share this notion. The Soviet Union viewed this plan as a way to infiltrate with foreign countries internal Affairs and refused to participate. They also prevented Poland and Czechoslovakia from being included in the program even know they needed it greatly. The undertaking of this plan contributed

WWII brought unemployment down dramatically and pulled thousands into the workforce, including women who had never worked in those industries before. Instead of unemployment there were often labour shortages which meant wages had to be raised to entice people to work. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal had laid the foundation for the recovery of the American economy but had not managed to bring it back to its pre-depression levels. Even before America was involved in the war, they were supplying goods to the Allies and employing thousands of people because of this. WWII clearly resulted in the rise of GDP and decline in unemployment, two major contributing factors to the United States economic recovery. The prospect of maintaining economic stability after the war concerned Americans as they feared they would spiral back into another Depression, but with a baby boom, major industrial expansion and a Cold War still to fight, prosperity was maintained long after the war had ended. WWII was not the only factor contributing to the recovery of the United States but without it, it is possible it would have taken a lot longer for them to recover. The economic recovery of America was due to a combination of increased government spending, a major component of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and major military and defence spending in response to WWII. The recovery of